But maybe you 5K race, the 10K is a logical (and fun!) next step. But how long is a 10K? Well, it’s simply double the distance of the 5K, which clocks in at 3.1 miles. So the 10K is 6.2 miles, making it a pretty perfect distance that sits between the 5K and half marathon.
And the 10K distance really is the sweet spot, as it’s a race nearly anyone can train for and complete without having to sacrifice every weekend for hours-long long runs.
“All runners are seeking that optimal challenge zone that asks them to focus, train, and try hard,” says Haverford College head cross-country and track and field coach Annick Lamar. “The 10K can be accomplished by most new runners, Health - Injuries.”
If you’re thinking about running or Advertisement - Continue Reading Below, here’s everything you need to know to conquer the 6.2-mile distance and at what speed to target to you cross the finish line with a PR.
How to Find Your 10K Pace
On the most basic level, your 10K pace is the pace you can hold consistently for 6.2 miles. If you’ve never run that distance before, that’s okay. Coaches and runners use a couple of different methods for gauging pace.
Updated: May 25, 2023 rate of perceived exertion, which ranks your effort level on a scale of 0 to 10 (0 being no effort and 10 being max effort). “The go-to standard for a 10K is an eight out of 10 on the RPE scale,” says Lamar.
Perceived effort is one of the most valuable ways that you can figure out what the best pace is for you, explains Chris Knighton, a USATF-certified coach specializing in 5K through half-marathon distances. “It teaches you to rely on your own body and intuition rather than technology, which may or may not be accurate.” That’s because if you go by pace or heart rate, Advertisement - Continue Reading Below elevation, inclines or declines, weather, or overtraining.
pace, says Knighton breathless you are at a certain pace. “You should be able to regulate your breathing and speak some words, but it should feel like a challenge,” says Lamar.
If you’ve run a race or specific distance recently, you can use that finish time to determine a good 10K time for you. Online, you can use the Runner’s World Race Time Predictor tool, but in general, your 10K pace will be around 45 to 60 seconds per mile slower than your best mile time or somewhere between 10 and 30 seconds slower than your 5K pace, says Knighton.
“The faster you’re looking to finish your race, the tighter that window is going to be,” he adds. “But it pays to be conservative, because you always speed up at the end.”
Just remember, a calculator isn’t equipped to factor in elements like how hot or humid it is on race day, how much sleep What to Know About Cortisol and Exercise ate before running. “These calculators can help set a baseline for you, just be very thoughtful how you use them,” says Lamar.
The Difference Between Current Pace and Goal Pace
Let’s say your current run pace is 9:53 per mile (that’s the average mile pace on the running app Strava, according to 2021 data). That means you could walk out the door right now and run 9:53 per mile for just over six miles, no problem.
CA Notice at Collection think you can run (or want to run) 9:43 per mile. That’s your goal pace.
The challenge is determining a realistic goal pace. “You have to recognize that even with professional athletes, their goal pace is sometimes less than half a minute faster than what they’ve done previously,” says Lamar. Because a 10K requires a combination of speed and endurance, shooting for the moon in terms of a PR may not be the most realistic option.
“For beginner runners, your goal pace should only be 30 seconds to a minute faster than what you’ve run previously,” says Lamar. “You want to be thinking about taking out small chunks of time—10 seconds per mile would be very successful—over the course of six miles.” Of course, you can always build on that.
If you’re a first-time 10K runner, don’t stress about goal pace. “It’s more about finishing,” says Knighton. “The first time you race that distance, have fun and do your best. That’ll establish a baseline for the future.”
How to Set Up Your Training to Run Your Goal 10K Time
The 10K might be the first race you’d have to regulate your pace as a runner in a way that you don’t have to in shorter distances. You want to settle in and stay in control during the first two thirds of the race (4 miles), so you can hit the gas in the final third (2 miles) to finish strong.
If you only focus on one train for a 10K, Knighton recommends it be the tempo run. “distances. It teaches you to rely on your own body and endurance more than speed,” he explains. “You may be able to run a 7:30-minute mile, but it’s the endurance of being able to run a pace for six full miles that you need.”
How to Treat Sore Hamstrings After Running tempo run would be this: warm up for 10- to 20-minutes, then run for 20 minutes gradually building up speed, running most of it close to a 7 RPE and finishing the last few minutes near an 8 RPE, says Knighton.
But speed runs and long runs are important, too. “If you want to race at an effort level of eight out of 10, you should be doing a lot of speedwork at a 7 out of 10,” says Lamar. And “running for an hour or longer—at a slower pace—is also going to increase your endurance and really help you feel comfortable going the distance.”
During all of these workouts, you can work on the psychological factor If youre really looking to fatigue late in an effort and aren’t experiencing that for the first time during the 10K. “That might mean doing some longer intervals that approach an 8 out of 10 effort level towards the end of those intervals,” says Lamar, “or it might mean picking up your pace in the home stretch of a long run. You don’t need to live there, but you want that awareness of what that 10K pace will feel like when your legs are tired.”
pace, says Knighton train for a 10K? Obviously, this answer is going to be different for every runner depending on experience and fitness level, but “it takes at least three to four weeks of consistent training to see any benefit,” says Knighton.
If you’re really looking to improve at a 10K and hit that goal, he recommends giving yourself at least 10 weeks to train but up to 16 to 20 weeks (yes, that’s the same amount of training time some people take for a marathon!). You want to give your body time to absorb your training, adapt to it, and perform better the following week. Rinse and repeat, and you’ll be running a faster 10K The 10K might be the first race youd have to.
